A cold front pushed into Arkansas on the 30th and then became nearly stationary. Although there was isolated severe weather, the more significant event was heavy rain and flash flooding.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS LZK wrote it up.
A cold front pushed into Arkansas on the 30th and then became nearly stationary. Although there was isolated severe weather, the more significant event was heavy rain and flash flooding.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Little Rock, AR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 29, 11:26 PM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 1226 AM CDT SAT APR 30 2011 .DISCUSSION... UPDATED FOR 06Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW... && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT...WITH MAINLY SOME HIGH CLOUDS EXPECTED ACROSS THE STATE. HAVE MENTIONED LLWS AS LOW LEVEL JET INCREASES OVERHEAD DURING THE MORNING HRS SAT. CENTRAL AND NRN SITES WILL SEE CIGS DECREASE AROUND THE EARLY TO MID MORNING HRS AS MOISTURE INCREASES FROM THE SOUTH AS A WARM FRONT BEGINS LIFTING NORTH. THIS INCREASED MOISTURE WILL ALSO BRING INCREASED PRECIP CHANCES DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HRS AS A COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTH INTO NRN AND INTO CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE STATE BY THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD. HAVE MENTIONED VCTS AND PROB30 FOR TSRA TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND EVENING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 254 PM CDT FRI APR 29 2011/ DISCUSSION... MAIN CONCERNS THIS FORECAST CYCLE REMAIN FLOODING POTENTIAL OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH POSSIBLE HEAVY RAIN DUE TO A POSSIBLE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER AR. THEN RISK OF SEVERE STORMS SATURDAY EVENING TO EARLY OVERNIGHT...THEN AGAIN SUNDAY. THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE HAS MOVED EAST AND A SOUTH WIND FLOW HAS RETURNED TO AR. ONLY AREAS THAT IT HAS BEEN ELEVATED ARE IN NW. FLOODING CONCERN CONTINUES ACROSS THE STATE WITH MANY RIVERS IN FLOOD STAGE AND VERY SATURATED GROUND. TEMPS HAVE BEEN AROUND NORMAL VALUES TODAY WITH THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE REGION. SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT MODELS ARE OVERALL CONSISTENT WITH FORECASTING A COLD FRONT TO SAG INTO AR LATE SATURDAY AND SLOWLY SAG SE OR BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY. THE UPPER LOW IS WELL TO THE NORTH...WHILE THE UPPER PATTERN AGAIN BECOMES NEARLY PARALLEL TO THE FRONT. THIS WILL AGAIN SET UP A 48 HOUR PERIOD OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE STATE...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS THROUGH LATE SATURDAY TO MONDAY. FLASH FLOOD WATCH TO BE ISSUED NEXT 24 HRS BASED ON THESE TRENDS. PRECIP WATER VALUES REACH AROUND 1.5 INCHES OR A BIT MORE OVER THE WEEKEND...AND AS ENERGY MOVES OVER AR CONVECTION WITH HEAVY RAIN WILL AGAIN BE SEEN. A WIDESPREAD 1 TO 3 INCHES IS LOOKING PROBABLE AND HIGHER AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES IF THE BOUNDARY SLOWS OR STALLS THROUGH MONDAY...BEFORE IT WASHES OUT OR DRIFTS SE OF AR. THE SEVERE THREAT AT THIS TIME IS SLIGHT WITH THE USUAL HAIL...WINDS AND POSSIBLE ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE MAINLY SATURDAY EVENING INTO THE EARLY OVERNIGHT...AND AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON TO EVENING...DEPENDING ON UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS. FACTORS ARE MORE FOCUSED OVER SOUTHERN TO SOUTH CENTRAL AR DURING THE PERIOD. RAIN CHANCES REMAIN IN THE FORECAST SUNDAY NIGHT AND ON MONDAY. LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MODELS ARE HINTING AT STALLING THE COLD FRONT IN OR NEAR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ONGOING TUESDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA LATE TUESDAY TO PUSH THE FRONT FURTHER EAST. HIGH PRESSURE AND DRIER AIR WILL MOVE IN FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ARKANSAS LATE THURSDAY FROM THE PLAINS. THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE AND NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT RETURNS FOR FRIDAY. BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BATESVILLE AR 58 63 49 67 / 70 80 60 50 CAMDEN AR 65 74 53 68 / 60 80 70 50 HARRISON AR 52 54 39 64 / 60 80 50 50 HOT SPRINGS AR 63 67 49 67 / 70 80 70 50 LITTLE ROCK AR 63 68 50 67 / 70 80 70 50 MONTICELLO AR 64 78 55 68 / 60 80 70 50 MOUNT IDA AR 62 64 48 66 / 70 80 60 50 MOUNTAIN HOME AR 54 57 44 64 / 60 80 50 50 NEWPORT AR 59 64 50 67 / 70 80 60 50 PINE BLUFF AR 64 73 53 66 / 60 80 70 50 RUSSELLVILLE AR 58 63 45 66 / 70 80 60 50 SEARCY AR 59 65 50 66 / 70 80 70 50 STUTTGART AR 63 71 53 66 / 60 80 70 50 && .LZK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && AVIATION...62
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 500 AM CDT FRI APR 29 2011 ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-301000- ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND- CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING- INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE- MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE- PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE- WOODRUFF-YELL- 500 AM CDT FRI APR 29 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PART OF ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE WITH MAJOR FLOODING ON THE BLACK AND WHITE RIVERS AND AT LEAST MINOR FLOODING ON MANY OTHER RIVERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY RIVER FLOODING WILL REMAIN A CONCERN HEADING INTO NEXT WEEK. THE BLACK AND UPPER WHITE RIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO CREST IN THE COMING DAYS...WITH THE OUACHITA AND LOWER WHITE RIVER CONTINUING TO RISE BEFORE CRESTING SOMETIME NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE...A NEW STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NATURAL STATE FROM LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE MAIN THREATS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ONCE AGAIN BE A CONCERN LATER THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO STALL OUT JUST SOUTH OF ARKANSAS LATE IN THE WEEKEND. RAIN CHANCES WILL LINGER INTO EARLY TUESDAY AS A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS TRACK ALONG THE FRONT...BRINGING ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE STATE. MOST LOCATIONS CAN EXPECT TO SEE BETWEEN ONE AND THREE INCHES OF RAIN THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY...INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION COULD BE NEEDED LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY EVENING ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. && VISIT NWS LITTLE ROCK ON THE WEB. GO TO HTTP://WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON CENTRAL ARKANSAS. 44
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:56 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Widespread flooding began to develop.
Rainfall totaled 1.42 inches in 35 minutes.
Many roads were flooded in Garland County, especially in the Jessieville area.
Numerous roads flooded and had to be barricaded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, April 2011
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 309096, 300675, 300674, 300677, 300679.